Thursday. 5:30pm
Outside my front door I desperately search for keys with three bags of shopping at my tired feet. All I can hear is Max, my Alsatian, barking like crazy on the other side and I can't hear myself think.
'It's me you silly dog.' I say as I open the letter box and see him staring back at me. His ears prick up and his head tilts to one side.
Two minutes later, after rummaging in my handbag whilst cursing and muttering 'they must be in here somewhere', the door finally swings open.
Struggling into the kitchen, I maneuver my way around Max with his claws tip tapping on the wooden floor. I let out a groan as I lift the heavy shopping onto the counter and finish with a sigh of relief.
I look over at Max who's staring at me with his puppy dog eyes and wagging his tail back and forth ferociously. He looks over at his tattered lead hanging on the wall and back at me. Again and again.
'Okay. Let's go walkies then.'
Max starts barking and twirling around my legs. 'Stay still then.' I say exhaustedly, trying to clip on the lead amongst his excitement.
A few minutes later we're crossing the road and entering the woods on the other side. I let Max off and he aims straight for a tree up ahead, sniffing everything he can along the way.
The air on my face and the quiet nature surrounding me help ease the stresses of the day. I realise again how much I love it here.
The trees sway in the wind encouraging leaves to fall to the ground. Dead leaves and twigs crunch and snap under my boots as I walk.
After a while I look back at Max and laugh to myself as I realise he's still sniffing the spot. I shout his name and he immediately comes bouncing towards me with his ears flopping up and down and his tongue hanging out.
'Good boy!' I exclaim as I pat my knees and brace myself for impact. He jumps on me with such force I topple backwards onto the ground. He starts licking my face as I try to make him stop and get myself off the ground simultaneously.
Suddenly I hear a tiny voice coming from behind me. I'm startled and I turn around instinctively to see who is there. I'm surprised to see a little boy stood a couple of metres away, staring at me. I can hear Max quietly growling at my side, but I can't take my eyes off the boy.
He appears to be about seven or eight, and is dressed for school in grey shorts and a shirt partly tucked in on one side. His hair is messy and his hands are black with dirt. I notice some nasty looking grazes on both of his knees which look red and sore.
'Are you okay? Do you need help getting home?' I ask worriedly.
The boy doesn't answer but continues to stare me with a frightened expression on his face.
'Don't worry. Max won't bite.' I say nodding towards the dog as he starts barking like he's trying to prove me wrong.
The boy then slowly begins to lift his outstretched arm and points into the woods. I turn to look in that direction and scan the area for a second or two, but seeing nothing out of the ordinary I look back towards the boy. He's gone.
I hear a rustling noise coming from some bushes up ahead and assume it's the boy running off. 'Get off home' I think myself.
Turning around towards Max I see him stood staring into the woods with his tail curled under and his ears folded back.
'Come on boy!' I say whilst rattling his lead and walking away. I expect him to follow, but he doesn't budge. He just stands there and stares at nothing.
Friday. 6:00pm
I pull my front door shut behind me as I head for my weekly piano lesson with Barbara, my next door neighbour. My sheet music flaps about in the wind and my hair wafts in front of my eyes as I walk.
Before I have even stepped onto her driveway the door is flung open. I see her stood there with a teaspoon in one hand and a grin on her face.
'I'm making tea.' She say cheerfully. 'Would you like one?'
'Yes please.' I reply gratefully. She grabs my arm a little too tightly as I step inside and shut the door behind us.
'Go through.' She points towards the living room with her spoon. 'Make yourself at home. I won't be minute.'
I straighten my hair and walk into the next room. The sofas look well lived in and the windowsill is crammed with plants. It is a very cosy space with photos cluttering the walls and knick knacks taking up every available space.
I pull the stool out from under the piano and sit down. It squeaks like it usually does and I hold my breath for a second. As always I expect it to collapse in a heap under my weight. But it doesn't. I suddenly remember the day my mum came to my house and rattled all the furniture mumbling to herself how they used to be build to last.
I lift up the lid to reveal the old dented keys, and place the sheet music on the stand. Just as I do, I notice something. A photo sat straight in front of me on top of the piano. A little black and white photo inside a love heart picture frame.
I can't quite catch my breath for a moment as I realise I've seen the person in photo before. The little boy from the woods. It's him. He's stood outside a school in his uniform. I recognise it as St. Peters from the next village over. There's an enormous smile spread right across his face and he's waving at the camera.
I think about how many hundreds of times I have sat at this piano with that photo looking down on me, and I've never noticed it until today.
I look back towards the door to make sure Barbara isn't there. Then I pick up the photo to have a closer look. It's him. It's definitely him I think to myself.
'Sweet little boy, isn't he?' Barbara declares, and I jump out of my skin as she places her hand on my shoulder.
'Absolutely.' I manage eventually. 'Is he your son?'
'Yes.' She takes her hand off my shoulder and pulls up a chair to sit next to me at the piano and carries on. 'But he disappeared a long time ago. 20 years ago yesterday in fact. I can't quite believe how fast the time has gone.'
'I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to....'
'Of course not dear.' She interrupts. 'It's fine. I just wish they could have found him. It's the not knowing that's the worse part. I went to pick him up from school that day and he wasn't there. One of the other mums said she saw him waiting outside the gates, but by the time she turned back he was gone.
Saturday. 10.00am
'I have to go back' I say to Max, who's sat watching me drink a cup of tea at the kitchen table. 'And you're coming with me.'
I stand up purposefully and take his lead from off the wall. I grab my coat and clip the lead onto his collar on the way out, heading back off into the woods.
I reach the spot where I saw the boy. I don't feel at ease anymore. I stand there nervously for a few minutes expecting him to appear at any moment. But he doesn't. Max is his usual self and I tell myself that if he was here, Max would know.
I take a deep breath and set off in the direction I was shown. I whistle Max who immediately overtakes and acts like he's excited to be exploring new smells.
Eventually I come to a path. An old dirt walkway which is overgrown and appears not have had any visitors for quite some time. The fence on either side is old and broken.
I climb through and over the fence on the other side, making sure Max is by my side.
Looking ahead I don't see anything but trees and undergrowth. The woodland is dense and it's easy to get lost. I start to wonder if I should just head back home, but I change my mind as the photo of Michael crosses my mind.
'Needle in a haystack.' I say to myself as I start trudging through the long grass.
As we get deeper into woods, it gets harder and harder to make our way through the undergrowth. I can't see Max anymore but I can hear him nearby rustling branches and leaves.
Then something catches my eye in the distance. A window. A building engulfed by the surrounding vegetation, sitting way back deep amongst the trees.
After struggling to make our way through for a while, we finally approach the house in an opening. I look back at how deep into the woods we are. It makes me feel nervous as I realise nobody knows we're here. I look down at Max who's sitting by my side, wagging his tail in excitement.
The abandoned building is a ruin. The wooden slats are rotten and the paint faded and peeling. The broken windows are covered in dust and haven't been touched in years.
I walk up to the door and push it open. It squeaks and then makes a loud thud as it hits the wall. Inside it's dark and eerie. There's the odd piece of furniture dotted about the room. The walls are dirty and it's obvious no one has been here for a long time.
From out of nowhere Max barks and runs into the house, and before I know it he's out of sight.
'Max!' I shout. 'Max, come here boy!'
I pick up a brick and place it in front off the door to hold it open and step inside. The floorboards creak beneath my feet. It feels unsafe and with each step I place my weight slowly on the floor until reaching the middle of the room.
Hearing barking coming from nearby, I walk slowly towards a doorway into a kitchen. The cupboards are hanging off the walls and broken pots and plates are scattered on the floor.
I see Max barking and growling at a closed door.
'What is it?' I say walking towards him.
Then I see it. On the wall. The words 'Michael was here' carved into the wall a couple of feet off the ground. I feel my heart begin to race as I realise Barbara's missing son must have been here, in this very spot all those years ago. I can't help but crouch down and place my finger over his name, imagining him sat with a stick carving his name into the wood with a smile on his face.
'What happened to you Michael?' I ask myself.
I'm startled by Max who's scratching at the same door with his paw and whining like he does when he wants his dinner. I stand up and try the handle, but as the door opens I can see Max sniffing through the gap and trying to squeeze his way in.
'No' I command as he backs up and looks up at me disappointedly.
I pull my phone out my pocket and press a button which makes the screen light up. Slowly I open the door and use the light as a torch aiming it down onto a set of rickety looking steps. I stand there for a moment considering whether or not to go down.
But then I hear something echoing up from within the darkness. I place my foot down onto the first step and shine the light as far as I can into the room, seeing nothing.
Suddenly out of nowhere Max runs straight past me and down the stairs, sending me hurtling down. I land in a heap at the bottom, and wince in pain as I feel my knee scratched and bleeding.
A dim light shines down from the top of the stairs and I fumble about trying to find my phone. Finally I place my hand on it and feel a wave of relief wash over me.
I press the power button over and over again, and pray to God to make it work. But nothing happens.
Suddenly the door slams shut and the room plunges into complete darkness. I can feel someone breathing on the back of my neck. I'm paralyzed with fear. I can't breathe.
The voice of a child speaks to me and fills my head with an angelic tone saying....
'You can't leave. I won't let you'.
